Holi Festival in Nepal: The Festival of Colours!

Want to know all about celebrating Holi Festival in Nepal?

Holi is one of the most fun and cheerful festivals in Nepal! People start celebrating in the morning by throwing colour and water balloons on each, and by the afternoon, there are lots of parties with live music!

The origin of Holi goes back to Hindu mythologies and celebrating the victory of good over evil. Holi also signifies the end of Winter and arrival of Spring, where people come together and celebrate with family and friends.

Nepal follows the lunar calendar, and Holi is on a different day every year. However, Holi usually falls on the full moon day in March.

The best places to celebrate Holi are in Kathmandu and Pokhara. The main Holi celebration in Kathmandu is at the Kathmandu Durbar Square, which can get very crowded.

Pokhara is a great place to celebrate Holi as it has live music and bands playing, but it does not get as crowded as Kathmandu. If you are in Pokhara for Holi, the main celebrations are at Lakeside.

Why is Holi Celebrated

Holi is celebrated to mark the end of winter and the beginning of Spring, but it also has roots in the Hindu mythology.

On Holi, people get together and celebrate by throwing colour powder and water on each other. It is a really fun festival, mostly celebrated in Nepal and India.

Story Behind Holi

There are two Hindu mythologies that originate the story behind Holi. One mythology is about Hiranyakashipu and the victory of good over evil, and another one is about the love story of Krishna and Radha.

The story behind Holi related to Hiranyakashipu is that there was a demon king (Hiranyakashipu) who wanted everyone in his kingdom to worship him. His son (Prahlad) was worshipping Lord Vishnu and didn’t want to worship his father.

Prahlad kept worshipping Vishnu against his father’s wishes and in turn, his father decided to kill his son with the help of her sister (Holika).

Holika believed that she could not be harmed by fire, and the plan was for Holika to sit in burning fire with Prahlad. To surprise, Holika burnt in the fire and Prahlad survived unharmed.

Thus ultimately, Prahlad surviving the fire and Holika perishing, signifies the victory of good over evil!

The other Hindu mythology, relating to Krishna and Radha goes as: Krishna’s skin was turned blue by a demon and he was worried that Radha would not like him due to his blue skin.

Krishna’s mother suggested that he put some colours on Radha’s face to match his own colour. So, the story related to Krishna and Radha goes back to the origins of playing with colours during Holi.

Holi Festival in Nepal

Holi Festival in Nepal is one of the most fun and colourful festivals in Nepal! The celebrations start in the morning with people throwing colourful powder and water balloons at each other.

Kathmandu and Pokhara are the best places to celebrate Holi in Nepal as they have lots of events, DJs and live music at various venues.

How to Celebrate Holi Festival

The celebrations for Holi usually start in the morning with people throwing powder and water balloons on each other.

The celebrations with coloured powder is in the morning and by the afternoon, people are partying at venues with live music on.

There are lots of events at bars and restaurants in the bigger cities in Nepal, especially in Kathmandu and Pokhara, so after playing with the colours, the bars are a good place to party.

It’s usually also tradition to drink bhang lassi on Holi (lassi made with weed). Just don’t drink too much bhang lassi as it can take a while for you to feel anything. If you drink too much too quickly, you will get totally sleepy and end up going to sleep!

If you are celebrating Holi in Pokhara, you can get bhang lassi at the Old Star restaurant at Lakeside.

When is Holi in Nepal?

Nepal follows the lunar calendar, so the festival dates change every year. Holi usually falls on a day in the middle of March.

In 2025, Holi is celebrated on 13 March in the Hilly Region of Nepal (e.g. Kathmandu, Pokhara), and on 14 March in the Terai Region (e.g. Chitwan).

Holi Festival in Kathmandu

There are lots of celebrations happening in Kathmandu on Holi and you can see people playing Holi everywhere.

The main Holi celebration in Kathmandu is at the Kathmandu Durbar Square and it can get pretty crowded.

Most travellers stay in Thamel and usually Thamel is a good place to start the Holi celebrations. The streets lead from Thamel down to the Kathmandu Durbar Square, and so you can play Holi starting from Thamel all the way to Kathmandu Durbar Square.

There are usually a lot of people celebrating Holi in Thamel and Kathmandu Durbar Square, so stay close to your friends and watch out for your belongings.

There are also celebrations at the Patan Durbar Square and Bhaktapur Durbar Square, so if you stay in Patan or Bhaktapur, they are also nice places to celebrate Holi.

Holi Festival in Pokhara

Pokhara is simply the best place to celebrate Holi in Nepal! The main Holi celebration in Pokhara is by Lakeside and they also have live DJs and bands playing during the day.

Pokhara is a nice place to celebrate Holi as it is a more chill and less crowded version of the celebrations in Kathmandu. While Kathmandu can feel very crowded, Pokhara is less busy but equally fun as you have lot of bars and restaurants at Lakeside.

For me, Pokhara has become the best place to celebrate any festival in Nepal. Overall, Pokhara is a very relaxed place and lots of events are happening for all festivals.

Holi Festival in the Tarai Region of Nepal

The Holi Festival in Nepal is usually celebrated on different days in different parts of the country.

In the Hilly Region (such as Kathmandu and Pokhara), Holi is celebrated on one day, and in places in the Tarai Region of Nepal (e.g. Chitwan), Holi is celebrated a day later.

For example, Holi may be celebrated on 13 March in the Hilly Region, and then on 14 March in the Tarai Region.

Best Place to Celebrate Holi Festival in Nepal

The best place to celebrate Holi in Nepal is in Pokhara! Pokhara is such a nice and chill place in general, and any festival is great in Pokhara.

Pokhara has many outdoor events on Holi such as live bands and DJs, but it does not get as crowded as Kathmandu, so it doesn’t feel so hectic!

If you are in Pokhara for Holi, go down to Lakeside as most celebrations take place in the morning on the pathway along the lake. They usually have DJs playing near the lake, and stages set up for live bands around Lakeside Road and Baidam Road.

Holi Festival Safety Tips

Nepal is a safe country but on holidays like Holi, a lot of people drink and go out to celebrate.

The city center in Kathmandu (around Kathmandu Durbar Square) can get really crowded with people, so stick to your friends and watch out for your belongings.

People are usually careful about putting the colour powder on you, and most people will even ask if they can put the powder on you. People are usually respectful and they won’t just throw the powder in your eyes, so it’s not that wild.

Safety Tips for Holi

✅ Stick to your friends and watch out for your belongings in crowded places (such as Kathmandu Durbar Square).

✅ Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the powder. (People usually don’t just through the powder in your face, but it’s better to have the sunglasses just in case)

✅ Wear waterproof sandals or shoes that you can clean easily with wiping off the colour powder

✅ Wear a cheap, old white T-shirt you don’t mind getting colours on. Before Holi, a lot of shops sell Holi T-Shirts that you can get for around Rs. 300-500 (USD 2-4)

✅ Only carry a small, waterproof bag with you with your phone and money in it. The best is if your bag is made of a material that you can easily wipe the powder off. Don’t take a good quality or cotton bag as it will be difficult to clean off the powder.

✅ Put on hair oil to protect your hair! The colour powder damages the hair, and it can take 1-2 weeks before you can completely wash the colour off. (On the other hand, if you don’t mind it, the colours can look cool and funny in your hair).

FAQs: Holi Festival in Nepal

What is Holi Festival in Nepal?

Holi Festival is the festival of colours and is mainly celebrated in Nepal and India. On Holi, people play with throwing colourful powder and water balloons on each other.

Holi is one of the most fun and colourful festival in Nepal, and if you visit Nepal during Holi, the best places to celebrate are in Pokhara and Kathmandu.

How to celebrate Holi in Kathmandu?

The main celebrations of Holi in Kathmandu take place at the Kathmandu Durbar Square.

Usually you can start celebrating Holi in Thamel (where most travellers stay) and walk down to the Kathmandu Durbar Square while playing Holi with all the people.

The Kathmandu Durbar Square can get very crowded with lots of people, so stay close to your friends and watch out for your belongings. After celebrating Holi at the Durbar Square, you can go back to Thamel, where lots of bars have Holi parties.

What is the 10-day festival in Nepal?

Nepal’s longest, 10-day festival is actually 15 days long!

It is Nepal’s Dashain Festival which is 15 days long but it’s main day is on the 10^th day of the festival so it is often referred to as the 10-day long festival.

What are the traditions of Holi Festival?

The traditions of Holi Festival include throwing colour powder and water balloons on each other.

The celebrations with colour powder and water starts in the morning, and by afternoon people are partying at venues with live music.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Holi is fun and cheerful festival in Nepal! People start celebrating in the morning by throwing colour and water balloons on each, and in the afternoons, there are lots of events and parties!

The origins of Holi goes back to Hindu mythologies, celebrating the victory of good over evil. Holi also signifies the end of Winter and arrival of Spring, where people come together and celebrate with family and friends.

Nepal follows the lunar calendar, and Holi falls on a different day every year. However, Holi usually falls on the full moon day around the middle of March.

The best places to celebrate Holi are in Kathmandu and Pokhara. The main Holi celebration in Kathmandu is at the Kathmandu Durbar Square, which can get very crowded.

Pokhara is a great place to celebrate Holi as it has live music and bands playing, but it does not get as crowded as Kathmandu. If you are in Pokhara for Holi, the main celebrations are at Lakeside.